Emery County, Utah Genealogy

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Guide to Emery County, Utah ancestry, family history, and genealogy. Birth records, marriage and death records, cemeteries, census, church records, probate records, and obituaries—resources to find parents and family history since 1880, when the county was formed.

Little Wild Horse Canyon, Emery County, Utah






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Emery County, Utah
Map
Map of Utah highlighting Emery County
Location in the state of Utah, United States Genealogy
Map of the U.S. highlighting Utah
Location of Utah in the U.S.
Facts
Founded information needed
County Seat Castle Dale
Courthouse
Address 95 East Main Street

Castle Dale, UT 84513-0629
Phone: 435-381-2119
FAX: 435-381-5183

Website: www.emerycounty.com
Named for: George W. Emery, governor of Utah Territory in 1875[1]
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County Facts[edit | edit source]

Description[edit | edit source]

The County was named for George W. Emery, governor of the Utah Territory in 1875. The County is located in the center area of the state. [2]

County Courthouse[edit | edit source]

Emery County Courthouse
95 East Main Street
Castle Dale, Ut 84513
Phone: 435-381-5106

County Clerk has marriage records from 1888.
State Court has divorce, probate and court records.
County Recorder has land records.[3]

Emery County, Utah Record Dates[edit | edit source]

Known Beginning Dates for Major County Records[4]
Birth* Marriage Death* Court Land Probate Census
1898 1888 1898 1887 1881 1887 1851
Statewide registration for births and deaths began in 1905. General compliance by 1917.

Records Loss[edit | edit source]

There is no known history of courthouse disasters in this county.

Parent Counties[edit | edit source]

Emery County, Utah Genealogy was created February 12, 1880 from: Sanpete and Sevier

Tip
 Before the county was created—and perhaps until the newly-formed county was fully operational—search records of the parent counties.


Boundary Changes[edit | edit source]

For animated maps illustrating Utah County boundary changes, "Rotating Formation Utah County Boundary Maps" (1849-1960) may be viewed for free at the MapofUS.org website.

See UT: Index of Counties... from Newberry Library's Utah Atlas of Historical County Boundaries, for a timeline of boundary changes for Emery County, Utah Genealogy.

Neighboring Counties[edit | edit source]

Emery County, Utah Genealogy is surrounded by: Carbon | Grand | San Juan | Sanpete | Sevier | Uintah | Wayne

Populated Places[edit | edit source]

For a complete list of populated places, including small neighborhoods and suburbs, visit Hometown Locator. The following are the most historically and genealogically relevant populated places in this county:[5]

Cities
Towns
Unincorporated communities
Native American communities
Ghost towns


Resources[edit | edit source]

The types of records that follow are used for genealogy and family history. Most tell what you may learn and how to locate the records. Links to Internet sites usually go directly to Emery County, Utah Genealogy entries with names, images, or information.

Tip
 Don't overlook Emery County, Utah Genealogy items in the FamilySearch Library Catalog. For other libraries (local and national) or to gain access to items of interest, see Archives and Libraries.

Bible Records[edit | edit source]

The term "Bible records" refers to the practice of keeping family dates and events in a family Bible. This was a common practice in many European countries and carried over to America. Many of these family Bible records are still in existence and preserved by the descendants of the immigrants. In some cases these family Bibles have found their way into libraries and other repositories.

For an explanation of how to find Bible records and for helpful links see Utah Bible Records. See also United States Bible Records.

Biography[edit | edit source]

Business Records and Commerce[edit | edit source]

See United States Business Records
See also Utah Occupation and Business Records

Cemeteries[edit | edit source]

Tombstone Transcriptions Online Tombstone Transcriptions in Print List of Cemeteries in the county
FindAGrave Family History Library FindAGrave
UTGravestones WorldCat USGW Tombstone Project
Billion Graves (name) Utah Periodicals Utah Cemeteries and Burials
Billion Graves (cemetery) Linkpendium
Emery County Cemeteries Genealogy Trails
UTGenWeb Archives Hometown Locator
FamilySearch Places
See Utah Cemeteries for more information.

Cemetery records often reveal birth, death, relationship, military, and religious information. The spouse and children who died young are frequently buried nearby.

More than tombstone inscriptions, cemetery records include sextons (caretakers) records and interment (burial) records, each with slightly different information. See Utah Cemeteries.

  • Published transcripts of cemetery records are listed in the FamilySearch Library Catalog at the town (space, then select the town) or the county level (select Cemeteries).
  • The Utah Cemetery and Burial Database on the Utah State History Website contains burial information for the following Emery County cemeteries: Castle Dale, Clawson, Cleveland, Desert Lake, Elmo, Emery, Ferron, Green River, Huntington, Lawrence, Molen, Muddy Creek, Orangeville, Ridge, Tucker Family, Victor, Wilsonville, and Woodside.
Castle Dale City Cemetery
750 North Center Street
Castle Dale, Utah 84513 		Clawson Cemetery
Highway 10 (5 miles south of Clawson)
Clawson, Utah 84516 		Cleveland Town Cemetery
300 North 600 East
Cleveland, Utah 84518
Elmo Cemetery
200 South 500 East
Elmo, Utah 84521 		Emery Town Cemetery
75 South Center Street
Emery, Utah 84522 		Ferron City Cemetery
300 East 200 North (Cemetery Road)
Ferron, Utah 84523
Green River Cemetery
Green River, Utah 84525
Huntington City Cemetery
400 West 575 North
Huntington, Utah 84528 		Lawrence Cemetery
Cemetery Road
Lawrence, Utah 84528
Molen Cemetery
Molen Road
Ferron, Utah 84523 		Muddy Creek Cemetery
Emery, Utah 84513 		Orangeville Cemetery
1300 West Cemetery Road
Orangeville, Utah 84537
Ridge Cemetery
Utah 84513 		Tucker Family Cemetery
Airport Road
Utah 		Victor Cemetery
Utah 84513
Wilsonville Cemetery
Woodside Cemetery
Woodside, Utah 		 

Census[edit | edit source]

Historical populations
Census Pop. %±
1880 556 —
1890 5,076 812.9%
1900 4,657 −8.3%
1910 6,750 44.9%
1920 7,411 9.8%
1930 7,042 −5.0%
1940 7,072 0.4%
1950 6,304 −10.9%
1960 5,546 −12.0%
1970 5,137 −7.4%
1980 11,451 122.9%
1990 10,332 −9.8%
2000 10,860 5.1%
2010 10,976 1.1%
Source: "Wikipedia.org".

Census records 1850 and later list names, ages, and places of birth (state or nation) for everyone in the household. Censuses locate the family and have other clues to find more records about them.

Churches and Religious Groups[edit | edit source]

The information given in church records depends upon the practices of each religious group. Most include the names of members, often with ages and birth places. Several give birth, christening, or blessing dates for infants. See Utah Church Records for details about various denominations.

  • Church records (microfilmed originals or published transcripts) are listed for Emery County, Utah Genealogy at the town level (space, then select a town) or county level (select Church topics) in the FamilySearch Library Catalog.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons)[edit | edit source]
Green check.png
The usage of "Mormon" and "LDS" on this page is approved according to current policy.


Historically, most people in Utah were Latter-day Saints. Their records are, therefore, very important for early Utah research. For additional information, see Tracing Latter-day Saint Ancestors and Utah Church Records.

Click a church unit name in the chart below for its history, boundaries, and availability of records, which are often in microfilm format

(Section In process. Want to help?)
Guide to history and records of wards and branches of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

Stake(s): Emery Stake, Utah

Places: Castle Dale · Clawson · Cleveland · Elmo · Emery · Ferron · Green River · Huntington · Lawrence · Mohrland · Molen · Orangeville · Rochester · Victor ·

List of Emery County stakes and wards to about 1948


List of Churches and Church Parishes

Court Records[edit | edit source]

Many of your ancestors may be found in court records as defendants, plaintiffs, witnesses, or jurors. Court records can establish family relationships and places of residence, occupations, and other family history information. See Utah Court Records for the various courts through the years.

For specialized court records, see Divorce  · Guardianship  · Land  · Naturalization  · Probate

7th District Court (Carbon, Emery, Grand & San Juan Counties)
149 East 100 South
Price, Utah 84501

The Clerk of the 7th District Court has court and divorce records from 1896-1986, and naturaliztion records from 1904-1942.

Emery County District Court
1850 North 560 West
Castle Dale, Utah 84513
Phone: 435-381-2619
Fax: 435-381-5625

Emery County Justice Court
1850 North 560 West
Castle Dale, Utah 84513
Phone: 435-381-5194
Fax: 435-381-5196

Emery County Justice Court - Green River
48 Farrer Street
Green River, Utah 84525
Phone: 435-564-3204
Fax: 435-564-8322

Emery County Juvenile Court
1850 North 560 West
Castle Dale, Utah 84513
Phone: 435-381-5311
Fax: 435-381-5625

Directories[edit | edit source]

See Utah Directories

Emigration and Immigration[edit | edit source]

Ethnic and Other Groups[edit | edit source]

Funeral Homes[edit | edit source]

Fausett Mortuary[6]
710 North Center Street
Castle Dale,UT 84513
Phone:435-381-2551
Fax: 435-637-6995

Gazetteers[edit | edit source]

See Utah Gazetteers

Genealogy[edit | edit source]

A FamilySearch Community Tree is available for this place.


Guardianship[edit | edit source]

Guardianship of orphans or adults unable to manage their own affairs were handled by the probate and the Federal District courts. See Utah Court Records.

Histories[edit | edit source]

Wikipedia
 Wikipedia has more about this subject: Emery County, Utah
"Emery County was established in 1880 and named in honor of George W. Emery, territorial governor of Utah, 1875-1880. Originally, the proposed name was Castle County, but it was decided that honoring the governor was more important. Emery County is the only county in Utah named in honor of a Utah state governor." [7]

The San Rafael region dates back thousands of years to include people of the Desert Archaic Culture.
Early explorers, both Spanish and American traversed the Uintah Basin from 1776 to the mid 1850’s. Notably Kit Carson was the first government explorer to the valley. Railroad engineers also came to the valley looking for a route for the Pacific Railroad.

History Timeline[edit | edit source]

See UT: Index of Counties... from Newberry Library's Utah Atlas of Historical County Boundaries, for a timeline of boundary changes for Emery County, Utah Genealogy.

NOTE: Unless otherwise mentioned, the events below were gleaned from Wikipedia for Emery County.

  • 1776; Silvestre Velez de Escalante crossed northern Utah through the Uintah Basin
  • 1809   First Americans to come to Castle Valley were the “Lost Trappers”, James Workman and William Spencer.
  • 1830   William Wilfskill came to the Castle Valley along the Spanish Trail
  • 1840’s-1850’s   Government explorers sent to the Castle Valley area. Kit Carson was one of those sent.
  • 1853 John W. Gunnison, an Army Topographical Engineer, commissioned by Sec. of War Jefferson Davis,came through Castle Valley looking for route for Pacific Railroad.
  • 1853-1854  John C Fremont, another government explorer came to the Castle Valley area.
  • 1875 Livestock growers from Sanpete County brought cattle and sheep into Castle Valley to graze and recognized the settlement potential of the region.
  • 1875   Livestock growers from Sanpete County brought cattle and sheep into Castle Valley to graze
  • 1877   Young Latter-day Saint families began moving to settle the Castle Valley area.
  • 1877 – Families began moving in to the valley to take up homestead.
  • 1877, August – Brigham Young President of the The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints issued an order for 50 families from Sanpete to located in Castle Valley
  • 1879 – Most of the lands had been taken up.
  • 1880, February – County was created by the Utah Territorial Legislature.
  • 1880   Emery County was created by Utah Territorial Legislature
  • 1880’s   Early in the decade, the Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad, using the alternative route,came through the eastern edge of Emery County and was of great benefit to the town of Green River.
  • 1890 Grand County was created 13 March 1890  from parts of Emery and Uintah Counties.
  • 1894 Carbon County was created 8 March 1894  from parts of Emery and Uintah Counties.
  • 1933 – Due to the Depression, Civilian Conservation Corp camps began to be constructed. First was in Joes Valley in Mary
  • 1935 – Permanent camp established near Ferron and the second camp was established at Castle Dale.
  • 1938 - Camp established at Green River.
  • 1970’s – Population expanded considerably due to construction of large coal-fired power plants in Castle Dale and Huntington.
  • 1900   Population of Emery County had reached 4,600 people, with over 450 farms in operation.
Local Histories[edit | edit source]
  • Geary, Edward A. "History Written on the Land in Emery County." Utah Historical Quarterly 66 (Summer 1998): 196-224.
  • History of Sanpete and Emery Counties Utah: With Sketches of Cities, Towns and Villages, Chronology of Important Events, Records of Indian Wars, Portraits of Prominent Persons, and Biographies of Representative Citizens. Ogden, Utah: W.H. Lever, 1898. Digital version at Internet Archive.

Land and Property[edit | edit source]

Land records (especially deeds) often give the name of a spouse, heir, other relatives, or other clues for further research. They often have other clues for further research, such as witnesses or the other parties who may be relatives or in-laws. See Utah Land and Property for more.

  • County Recorder's Office: check deeds, file mining claims, get assistance in finding ownership of a particular property, and obtain copies of county plat maps. This office has county plat records dating back to 1878, prior records having been destroyed in a fire.

Emery County Recorder
75 East Main, Room 104
Castle Dale, UT 84513
Phone: 435-381-2414
Fax: 435-381-2614

Maps[edit | edit source]

Sanpete CountyCarbon CountyUintah CountySevier CountyWayne CountySan Juan CountyGrand CountyUT EMERY.PNG
Click a neighboring county
for more resources


Migration[edit | edit source]

Military[edit | edit source]

Emery County Recorder
75 East Main, Room 104
Castle Dale, UT 84513
Phone: 435-381-2414
Fax: 435-381-2614

The County Recorder has Military Discharge records from 1923-1952.

Civil War[edit | edit source]
World War I[edit | edit source]
World War II[edit | edit source]

Naturalization and Citizenship[edit | edit source]

Declarations of Intent before 1906 often include the nation of origin, his* foreign and "Americanized" names, residence, and date of arrival. See Utah Naturalization and Citizenship for more information. (*Women were not naturalized until 1922 in the United States.)

Newspapers[edit | edit source]

Small town newspapers contain obituaries, birth or death notices, community news (such as the visit of someone's relatives), legal notices and provide historical content. See Utah newspapers for tips, resources, and details.

  • Olsen, Bruce L. A History of the Emery County Progress-Leader and Its Predecessors. Provo: Brigham Young University, 1965.
    • The Emery County Progress is a weekly newspaper published every Tuesday. The paper has been published since 1900. In 1963, the name of the newspaper was changed to the Emery County Progress Leader after merging with the Green River Leader. In 1977, the newspaper resumed the name Emery County Progress. The online edition of the paper is free to the general public. The Website's archives currently date back to the year 2001.
    • Back issues of the Emery County Progress and Emery County Progress-Leader are available on microfilm at the Family History Library. The library currently has volumes 1 (1900) thru 64 (1963) of the Emery County Progress available on 19 rolls of microfilm beginning with FHL film 1,486,721. Volumes 65 (1964) thru 78 (1977) of the Emery County Progress-Leader are available on 8 rolls of microfilm beginning with FHL film 2,398,981.

Obituaries[edit | edit source]

Obituaries may mention birth, marriage, spouse, parents, and living family members. See Utah Obituaries for state level compendiums and United States Obituaries for tips and insights regarding this record type.

Obituaries for residents may be found in:

Periodicals[edit | edit source]

Poorhouses, Poor Law, etc.[edit | edit source]

In Utah, such records may be difficult to find. Try records of the church they may have attended. Realize, however, that such records may have not been preserved, and would not be in the typical records of membership.

It is possible there were records kept by civilian authorities. Ask town or county officials and local librarians and the State Archives. Also try National Union Catalog of Manuscript Collections (online).


Probate Records[edit | edit source]

Probate cases include court actions regarding property and estates of individuals who have died. Records may locate relatives, provide death dates, and identify property.

Online Probate Records

Taxation[edit | edit source]

Emery County Assessor
75 East Main
Castle Dale, UT 84513
Phone: 435-381-2474
Fax: 435-381-5529

Vital Records[edit | edit source]

Emery County Utah Vital Records
Emery County Clerk
95 E Main Street
Castle Dale, UT 84513
Phone: 435-381-2465

See also How to order Utah Vital Records or download an application for Utah Birth Certificate, Marriage or Divorce Certificate, Death Certificate Applications to mail.

Birth[edit | edit source]
Below are the best sources to find birth information (dates and places of birth and names of parents) for Emery County, Utah Genealogy. Also available: How to Find Birth Information in Utah.
Follow the suggestions under the year span that matches when your ancestor was born:
Birth before 1880[edit | edit source]
Emery County, Utah Genealogy was formed on 12 February 1880.
      If your records show the person was born here before the county was formed,
      search parent counties
Tip
 Before county formation, go to Utah Censuses to locate the family around the time of birth.

Birth 1880 - 1897[edit | edit source]
No birth records were created for Emery County, Utah Genealogy by either by county or state civil authorities in this time period.
Follow these suggestions to find birth information for this time period:
Birth 1898 - present[edit | edit source]
County clerks became responsible for recording births beginning in 1898. In 1905, the State Department of Health assumed responsibility and required the counties to forward copies of the records to them.
Tip
 It took a few years after the requirements for people, doctors, midwives, and officials to comply, so some early birth registrations were missed.


Records open to the public
Birth records created more than 100 years ago State Department of Health Birth, Marriage, and Death Certificates page. are open to the public.
  • 1898 - 1905 - Online index to births 1898–1905 Series 84038 for Emery County, Utah Genealogy by the Utah State Archives. (Free) Search by names of parents, as many entries do not give the child's name. Each entry includes date of birth, sex, residence, etc.
    • 1898 - 1905 - Series #84038 at Utah state archives. Not online. There are no names of children in the records.
    • Idea: use censuses and church records to learn those missing children's names.
    • FamilySearch Library copy: film 483527 item 2.
Restricted records
Access to official birth records within 100 years is restricted to those who meet certain requirements. Order copies:
  • Office of Vital Records and Statistics, 288 North 1460 West, Salt Lake City, Utah, Phone: (801) 538-6105. How to order online, by mail, or in person.
Marriage[edit | edit source]

The County Clerk has marriage records from 1805 to the present.

Emery County Marriage Licenses, 1888 - Current are available online at Emery County Online Services.  The database is fully searchable and contains digital images of the actual marriage license. A marriage license may contain information such as the name of the bride and groom, their ages, residence, date and place of marriage, and names of parent or guardian, witnesses, and marriage officiator.

Divorce[edit | edit source]

Divorce records give the names of the parties and may give the date and place of their marriage. See Utah Vital Records for excellent information.

Death[edit | edit source]

  • 1904 - 1964 - Utah Death Certificates, 1904-1964 at FamilySearch — index and images. Utah requires a death certificate before a burial is completed. A death certificate may contain information as to the name of the deceased, date of death, and place of death, as well as the age, birthdate, parents, gender, marital status, spouse and place of residence.

Voting Registers[edit | edit source]

Websites[edit | edit source]

Archives, Libraries, etc.[edit | edit source]

Resources for Emery County, Utah Genealogy are available in repositories (such as libraries and archives) at all levels: the town, the county, the state (including universities), and the nation.

Check websites and catalogs of archives and libraries for items for this county. Examples: Emery County, Utah Genealogy items in FamilySearch Library. When you find items you'd like to access, see Get a Copy

See Archives · Courthouse · FamilySearch Centers · Libraries · Museums · Societies sections.

Archives[edit | edit source]

  • Emery County Archives, 75 East Main Street, Castle Dale, Utah 84513. Phone: 435-381-2671; E-mail: Archives@co.Emery.ut.us
  • Green River Archives, 1765 East Main Street, Green River, Utah 84525. Phone: 435-564-3427 ext. 2; Fax: 435-564-3526

Courthouse[edit | edit source]

County seat: Castle Dale

FamilySearch Centers[edit | edit source]

Family History Centers provide one-on-one assistance, free access to center-only databases, and to premium genealogical websites.
FamilySearch Affiliate Libraries have access to most center-only databases, but may not always have full services normally provided by a family history center.

Local Centers and Libraries

Libraries[edit | edit source]

Local public libraries usually have histories, genealogies, indexes of cemeteries, copies of local newspapers, or other records for the area they serve. Many libraries in Utah have an area dedicated to local collections and manuscripts.

  • Emery County Library
    115 North 100 East
    Castle Dale, Utah 84513-9999
    Phone: 435-381-2554, Fax: 435-381-2699.
  • Collections:
  • Utah State University Eastern Library & Learning Commons
    451 East 400 North
    Price, UT 84501
    • The library holds microfilm copies of newspapers from several towns in Carbon and Emery Counties. They are willing to help with research if the exact date of an event is known.

See also Utah Public Library Directory.

Museums[edit | edit source]

  • Pioneer History Museum, 65 East 100 North, Castle Dale, Utah 84513. Phone: 435-381-5154

Societies[edit | edit source]

See also a List of Utah Archives, Libraries, Publications, Historical & Genealogical Societies

Emery County Historical Society
P.O. Box 96
Castle Dale, Utah 84513
Phone: 435-381-2510
Fax: 435-381-2614

Towns and Communities[edit | edit source]

v • d • e
Links to Utah-related articles
Topics
Counties
Beaver · Box Elder · Cache · Carbon · Daggett · Davis · Duchesne · Emery · Garfield · Grand · Iron · Juab · Kane · Millard · Morgan · Piute · Rich · Salt Lake · San Juan · Sanpete · Sevier · Summit · Tooele · Uintah · Utah · Wasatch · Washington · Wayne · Weber
Extinct Co.
Major
 Repositories
Migration
 Routes

References[edit | edit source]

  1. ↑ Emery County, Utah Wikipedia.
  2. ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Emery, Utah" in https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emery_County,_Utah accessed 4 Dec 2018
  3. ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Emory County, Utah Page 686 At various libraries (WorldCat); FHL Book 973 D27e 2002.
  4. ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Emery County, Utah . Page 686-688 At various libraries (WorldCat); FHL Book 973 D27e 2002; Alice Eichholz, ed. Ancestry’s Red Book: American State, County, and Town Sources, Third ed. (Provo, Utah: Ancestry, 2004), 676-677.
  5. ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Emery County, Utah," in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emery_County,_Utah, accessed 13 February 2019.
  6. ↑ Funeral Home Cemetery Directory.(Youngstown, OH: Nomis Publications, Inc., c2009,937
  7. ↑ John W. Van Cott, Utah Place Names: A Comprehensive Guide To the Origins of Geographic Names (Salt Lake City: University of Utah Press, 1990), 128.
  8. ↑ "Emery County, Utah: Family History and Genealogy, Census, Birth, Marriage, Death Vital Records and More," Linkpendium, http://www.linkpendium.com/genealogy/USA/UT/Emery/, accessed 1 February 2012.
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